Page 30 of Duncan (Irish Mob of Boston #1)

Freyja

“That was nothing that concerns you. Duncan is back now. You can all go. Thank you for coming to my rescue, but it was unwarranted, and Athena never should have called you.”

King hid a smile behind his hand and coughed.

“I don’t like this, Freyja.”

“You don’t have to, Dimeter. This is my path, not yours. Yours is in Virginia with Henley.”

“If you need me, you call me. Don’t wait for Athena to do it.” My brother hugged me tightly. When he was done, Priest and Frank did the same.

King stood in front of me and said, “I’m in a tough position here, Freyja.”

I laid my hand on his chest. “You’re not. Club comes first. I know that.” I looked over at Duncan, then Maddie. “It will all work out the way it’s supposed to, King. Remember that.”

He kissed my cheek and hugged me. I said goodbye to my sister and my parents, promising them I would be home soon to collect my things.

Jeffrey informed me he would drive my parents home and return tomorrow as my personal driver.

Duncan didn’t even blink. In fact, he thanked Jeffrey for his willingness to uproot his life at his age.

When the office cleared out, and it was just Duncan, Sal, Cian, Mac, Caity, Maddie and me, I asked, “What did you learn?”

Sal’s head snapped up at my question. I didn’t know if the Mob worked the same as the MC, but I was about to find out if they would keep the information quiet in the name of ‘plausible deniability’ or if they would share and let their women be a part of what was going on.

A lack of information left you vulnerable and open. Whereas knowledge was power.

“Not now, Freyja,” Duncan whispered.

“What the hell is going on?” Caity asked. “Why were Maddie and I summoned?”

“Freyja was kidnapped today, by Tyran. I can’t have you both unprotected. So, until we figure out who he is working with, you will both have shadows.”

Caity glared at Cian, and I wondered about their dynamic. Maddie looked resigned. “Who?” she asked.

Sal looked at Cian. “Mac will be staying at the house at night.”

Cian left the office, slamming the door behind him.

“And during the day, you will both have men we trust following you. They will try to be unobtrusive, but I am hoping that by having them visible, Tyran will think twice before trying anything.”

“I can’t do this shit, Sal. If Nolan is gone, I want to do what Maureen did.”

“No.”

“What do you mean, no?”

I sat on Duncan’s lap watching Caity and Sal argue back and forth like a tennis match.

“I mean no. I will not have my only sister gallivanting all over the damn country. Maureen was different. Duane set things up for her. Sent her out west to Lannie.”

Sal looked at Caity with a grin. “Unless you’d like to take a trip out west. Go to Nebraska and meet your nephew. You can visit Maureen while you’re there. And you and Maddie would be safe.”

Caity folded her arms over her chest and glared at Sal. “Fuck no.”

Duncan chuckled behind me. And Mac coughed, trying to hide his own laughter.

“Not a country girl, little sister?”

“Fuck you, Sal. Mac, let’s go.” Caity stormed out of the office with Mac right behind her. Maddie slowly rose from the sofa and strolled to the door.

Before walking out, she turned to Sal and said, “Maybe I’d like to meet my cousin. I could use some time away, Uncle Sal.”

Sal was easy to read when it came to his family. I picked up quickly that he let his guard down when dealing with Maddie and Caity, and I could see he didn’t want her going alone.

Before he spoke, I jumped up. “Maddie. I would really like the chance to get to know you. Maybe in a few weeks we could go out west together?

“Beck’s baby is due in a few months. I’d like to go meet him. I’ll take you to Nebraska then, and hopefully this shit will be over.”

Maddie nodded solemnly, before walking through the door to catch up with her mother and Mac.

“Why does Maxim have her son?” Sal’s eyes went wide at my question.

“Freyja, it’s a long story. One you should hear from Maddie if she wants to tell it.” Duncan took my hand, and I understood what he was saying, but she was so sad it broke my heart.

I nodded and then asked, “Is Bellamy safe?”

“For fuck’s sake.”

Duncan chuckled. “Yea, Bellamy is safe for now. We don’t know what Tyran has on her, but we’ll figure it out.”

I looked between Sal and Duncan. “You know I’m not going to sit back and be one of those Mob wives like they show on television, right? Getting her hair and nails done every week, happy to spend her husband’s money and live in ignorance.”

“I have only known you for a day, Freyja, but even I can see that’s fuckin’ obvious,” he snarked.

“Good. Because I think what you need is fresh eyes. I don’t know anyone in your organization, but I am a good judge of character.

For instance, Ronan is an asshole.” Duncan chuckled behind me.

“But he’s loyal. Same with Liam, but Liam takes the initiative.

He didn’t wait for someone to tell him to follow Kelley.

He made sure I was safe with Gavin and took off.

Gavin is a peacekeeper. He should be used to broker deals and negotiations.

He’s a charmer, and when you’re dealing with sharks, you need a shark wrangler.

Oscar, that boy needs a therapist. He has a lot of shit to work out before he kills someone. And Rian is not being utilized.”

“Rian is in New Orleans. How would you know if he was being utilized?” Sal asked.

“He’s seen as muscle. It’s why you asked him to wait for Duncan when you left the ball. And why Duncan asked him to watch over me.”

“Actually, Rian offered to make sure you got home safely,” Duncan added.

“See, initiative. Like Liam.”

Sal shook his head. “I’ll probably regret this but what about Mac and Cian?”

I looked at Duncan, and his smile encouraged me to go on.

“Well, Mac is muscle. But more than that. He’s quiet, observant. Not much gets past him. So, he’s the one you want to take anytime you are meeting with someone you don’t fully trust.”

Sal rubbed his chin and watched me. “And Cian?”

“Well, Cian, um... he holds secrets. Not just his own, but yours. He’s a vault. There is no one more trustworthy.”

“Hey,” Duncan swatted my butt.

“You’re very astute, Miss Malpas. Let me ask you. Is there anyone you’ve met that you have reservations about?”

Nice going, Freyja. Should have kept your mouth shut.

“Well...” I bit my lip, not sure how honest I should be. “McCoy.”

Sal stood up straight. “McCoy? Why?”

“I’m not sure. I haven’t interacted with him. It’s just a feeling I get when I look at him. It could just be that he’s standoffish.”

“But you don’t think so?” Sal asked.

I shook my head. “No, I don’t think so. I’m sorry.”

“No need to be sorry. It doesn’t hurt to be cautious.” Sal walked toward the door. “Why don’t you two take off for the night? It’s been a long day.”

“That’s a great idea.” Duncan grabbed my hand and led me to the elevator.

“Where are we going?”

“Home,” he said. Once the elevator doors closed us in, Duncan pounced. He pushed me against the back wall and kissed me. His hands slid through my hair and he ground his hips against me.

“Home? You think I am just moving in with you?” I asked as he trailed his mouth across my jaw and bit my earlobe before sucking it between his lips.

“Isn’t that why you came to Boston? To be with me?”

“Do you want me?”

Duncan pulled back and looked at my face. “Do you question whether or not I want you?”

“Not physically, no. But you’ve been single for a long time.”

The elevator doors pinged, then opened into the lobby. Duncan took my hand and pulled me along behind him out onto the street. But he didn’t answer my question.

He hailed a cab, and he opened the door for me. For a moment, I considered he might close the door and send me on my way. But he climbed in next to me and gave the driver an address.

“Duncan—”

“No, Freyja, wait until we get home. We clearly have a lot to talk about.”

The cab ride was quiet as I stared out the window at the city. Boston was new to me, but while smaller, it didn’t seem that different from New York.

The car stopped in front of a brownstone. There were a dozen steps leading up to the double wooden doors. What I found when we stepped inside was not what I expected.

The front door opened to a spacious living room, kitchen, and dining area. The wood cabinets were a dark cherry that matched the trim around the doorways and the stairs leading to a second floor.

With Duncan being a bachelor, I expected lots of gray and black. What I found were warm tan walls, hardwood floors, and a stone fireplace that would be perfect to curl up in front of and watch the snow fall through the large bay window that looked out onto the street.

The L-shaped sofa was a dark burgundy, with throw pillows that match the patterned drapes.

“Did you decorate this yourself?”

“Fuck no. And if you don’t like it, you can change whatever you want.”

“No, I love it. I wouldn’t change a thing.” My stomach flipped at the insinuation that I would be living here to make it my own. I mean, sure, that’s what I wanted. And Lucille had told me Duncan was mine.

But Duncan had yet to confirm it.

“Do you want a drink?”

“Wine?” I asked, taking in the pictures displayed on the mantel.

“Red or white?”

“Red please.”

There was an old family picture of a mom and dad with a teenage girl, a young boy, and who I assumed was Duncan in the middle.

There were older pictures of the young boy.

A wedding day with a beautiful woman. And baby pictures of a little girl who, if she was the same as the other photos, looked to be in her twenties now.

An older version of the mom and dad sat on the opposite end of the mantel from the family picture. As if they were corralling the others, keeping them from falling off the edge.

“My parents. They’ve been gone ten years now.”

He reached over and picked up the family picture. “My older sister Darcy, and my little brother Duane. They’re both gone now, too.”

A small gasp left my lips. “I’m so sorry. What happened?”

He replaced the picture and took my hand, leading me to the couch where he sat in the corner and pulled me against his chest. The wine he poured sat untouched on the coffee table.

“My sister ran away when she was sixteen. We didn’t know where she went or even if she went on her own. A few months back, we learned she ran away because she was pregnant. I have a nephew I never knew about living in Nebraska.”

I turned to look at him. Sal had mentioned Caity had a nephew in Nebraska.

“Sal and Darcy were together when we were kids. When she found out she was pregnant, she ran off with Sal’s mom and stepfather. She let Kathleen raise her son as her own. So, Sal thought he had two younger brothers, turned out one of them was his son.”

“And he never suspected?”

“He had never met him. King is thirty-eight now. And the only reason we learned about him was because when my brother was killed a year ago, his wife Maureen bought her way out and moved out west. To the same town where Sal’s brother Declan and his son Kingston live.”

“What happened to your brother?”